2712 views | Public | Dutch
1. Meet at the church on Abeleplein (V), the main street right on the French-Belgian border in the Popering borough of Abele. Literally a borderline case, this French-Flemish village, where you can still experience cockfights in café Le Tahiti.
Start with your back to the neo-Gothic church (1862, on French territory) and the rooster crowing, go about 30 m to the right and cross over to a street next to bakery / tearoom Denys. On the corner of this cul-de-sac Hanekampweg hangs a placard from the 'Groote Beweging/Heavy Traffic' (www.Poperingen14-18.be). Here is also the red and white network sign of the cross-border hiking network Hoppeland. Go to node 67.
The street becomes a path for walkers, cyclists and horse riders, past hanekamp eatery. Immediately a first introduction to the panoramas in this slightly hilly landscape, with the antenna and the abbey on the Catsberg in the distance. The path ends on an asphalt road, turning right here and past a first brick chapel rising to a busier road. From the Galgestraat you continue to follow direction 67, turn right on the cycle path. At a dial-a-bus stop 100 m further and a name sign of this Trappist road you cross carefully, towards 't Sparhof and the Helleketelbos. This Stoppelweg rises slowly, past some houses and a chapel, towards Helleketelbos. Step into the coolness of this deciduous forest (41 ha) until junction 67. Then turn right into a forest path (with also red and white GR indication) to junction 57 on the edge of the forest. Then turn left to junction 56, on an asphalt road, to and past catering business 't Sparhof (1), with terrace and folk games. Past a sign about the Helleketelbos, follow the GR path from junction 56 via asphalt and forest path to 54. With a play zone right in front of you, turn left on that T, to 55 (with picnic area). Continue straight on to 51 at an information board, along the edge of the forest. Continue to junction 50, up to a traffic road, with a half-timbered house (the fairy or witch house) on the left. Turn right to 49, via this ridge, good for a lot of views.
The GR path also continues to follow this road, while a driver's route and two cycle routes turn further to the right. Always keep following this Helleketelweg, until junction 49 past horse pension De Helhoek. On a T (left the Wulfhullestraat) you just turn along, to junction 40, where the GR turns left. You continue straight on, to junction 34, past larger hooves and barns, hop fields and one of the many cemeteries of WWI: the Nine Elms British Cemetery 1914-1918 (2).
With the towers of Poperinge close by, you return to Abele in the 't Geel Huis district. At junction 34, turn right into Provenstraat, direction 37. The junctions follow each other quickly: from 37 to 38, past the district sign De Driemeerschen and sign 'crossing wild' then continue towards 39.
You walk past a natural plain with shetland ponies and on the right a pool with a picnic bench and a sign of Pasar's most beautiful nature spot (3). The Provenstraat ends at the Abeelseweg. Direction 39 you carefully cross to the row of houses and you follow it on the right, until the first side street on the left: the Boescheepseweg, with junction 39 at veevoeders Capoen. Go to 40. A little further is junction 40. You follow the right bank countercurrent, over a new bridge, to junction 44. The path becomes a wide, bumpy grass path on the left bank, between bushes and wood wall along the Vleterbeek and the wide fields. Sturdy walking shoes are not an unnecessary luxury here, because you follow the stream for 3 km, with hop fields and meadows on the other bank. After 1.5 km, the pole of junction 44 proves that you are on the right road, always straight on to junction 45 now. In the distance, the Catsberg and the church tower of Abele reappear. Past some large farms you have to turn right, uphill, via a tractor path. Past the former catering business Wally's Farm (with freedom statue) (4) you can, almost on the main road, turn left at junction 45 to junction 58. This GR path, Plokkers Mennerspad, takes you to a parking lot with picnic table near the traffic road. The last end you walk next to this concrete road, past the OC D'Hoge Schole, back to junction 67 of Abele village. Finally, at a large intersection you pass the former customs office (with barrier) 't Kommiezenkot in the former customs office.
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